BEING THERE: Modern Baseball @ The TLA

MOD_BASEBALL_BY_DYLAN_LONG

Photo by DYLAN LONG

The TLA was jam packed last night for Philly’s very own Modern Baseball, homegrown pop-punksters known for their melodic leanings and turn-on-a-dime breakdowns. Opening up the sold-out show was a well-stacked lineup of buzzy bands, including Chicago pop-punkers Knuckle Puck and Beantown grinders Somos. Security had a busy night scooping up crowd surfers left and right while blaring, buzzsawing guitars had fists pumping skyward as the crowd’s energy continued to build. Brendan Lukens, Modern Baseball Jonah Hill-esque frontman, walked on stage a bit past 10, and cut to the quick: “Let’s just get started, we’re gonna play as many songs as we possibly can.” Then the band dove into a wild ride of a set, including some smash hits like “Apartment” and “Re-Done”. Beautiful melodies tumbled across fast-paced riffs, thrilling breakdowns and raunchy guitar solos that worked the audience into a crowd-surfing frenzy for a solid hour of hometown heroics. — DYLAN LONG